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Description of  Oil, Nationalism and British Policy in Iran: The End of Informal Empire, 1941-53

1350320587 pdf As new nations were formed from the declining British Empire, a murky world of diplomats, oil executives and spies were determined to maintain Londons grip on Iran and its strategic oil reserves. Directed from Whitehall by successive governments, this book explores the complexities and ambiguities of British policy in Iran and demonstrates its centrality to post-war imperial reorientation. Situating Iran within Britains informal empire, Jack Taylor demonstrates that Clement Attlees Labour Government saw Iranian oil as critical to the construction of a domestic New Jerusalem, and used coercion, propaganda, and espionage to preserve their control over it. In doing so, they were forced to confront not only the emerging Cold War, but local resistance expressed through diverse forms including trade unionism, Soviet-inspired Marxism, and popular nationalism. Read more